


Eye to Eye

by infallibleimperfection



Category: Todomomo - Fandom, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Class 1-A antics, Cute, F/M, Fluff, blind todo, bouncy momo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-06-06 23:58:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15206339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infallibleimperfection/pseuds/infallibleimperfection
Summary: A story that takes place in the event that Todoroki Shouto's facial burn left him with permanent damage.And no, its not the scar.





	1. "Shit. I'm late."

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for a while now but only just decided to write it!  
> I also don't have expert knowledge on the nature of visual impairment so please excuse any discrepancies in my knowledge!  
> Not sure how long it'll be or how good it'll be but I hope you enjoy reading it!

7:30am.

That was the time that Shouto was supposed to have woken up for school this morning.

7:50am.

That was the time that Shouto actually awoke at.

“Shit,” Shouto mutters as he springs up from his bed, shutting off the mechanical voice of his alarm stating the current time. He blearily wiped the sleep from his eyes and used his other hand to rummage around for his phone which had somehow found its way to the foot of the bed. Once unlocked, the phone stated that Shouto had a text message and began to read it aloud;

 

**[From: Midoriya]**

**7:47: Todoroki-kun, where are you? Iida-kun and I are waiting in the common room** **.**

 

Once the text finishes playing, Shouto calls Midoriya.

“Todoroki-kun? Is something wrong?” It was just like Midoriya to worry if something was out of routine.

Shouto yawns silently before responding, “No, I just overslept,” and Midoriya breaths out a relieved sigh,

“That’s fine, Iida-kun and I can wait for you whilst you get ready.”

“You don’t have to-,” Shouto started but there was some muffled noise on the other end of the line before Iida’s voice came through the receiver, “Nonsense! We shan’t leave you behind!” Shouto could faintly hear Midoriya in the background, “We aren’t leaving for war, Iida-kun,” and then more loudly so Shouto could hear, “But we will wait for you, Todoroki-kun!”

The line went dead and after a small moment of silence to comprehend, that yes, he did have to go to class today, Shouto got up to prepare for school. After years of having more than lousy eyesight, Shouto was good at knowing his surroundings in familiar places and could find anything he wanted in his room. Thankfully, that skill hadn’t left him as he changed in record time, stuffing the books from his desk into his school bag, briefly feeling the titles with his deft fingers – _maths, Japanese studies and history_. Shouto had no time to ponder the other classes of the day and only hoped that he had left his other required textbooks at school.

After closing the door to his room, Shouto briskly walked down the halls of the boys’ dormitory and to the common room on the ground floor – the memorised route was now second nature to him. As he enters, he hears the murmuring voices of his friends and he clears his voice to make his arrival known.

“Todoroki-kun! You’re here,” Midoriya’s light voice reaches Shouto’s ears and he nods his greeting. “10 minutes! How timely,” Iida’s more grounded voice travels in the air and Shouto replies,

“In a way, it was a sort of challenge.” _Everything is when you’re blind._ Shouto swallows the sentence, the words burning his throat as he contains them. An unpleasant yet pivotal memory seizes his mind and the unforgettable words return to him:

_“It’s visual impairment due to thermal injury; the high temperature has destroyed the superficial epithelial cells and the injury has penetrated his cornea. I say it’s only a matter of time before the injury begins to affect his right eye too.”_

To the young Shouto, that diagnosis had both changed and ruined his life. True to the doctor’s prediction, the sight in his right eye began to degenerate within the year. It was like looking through a translucent window – showing a blurry image with only the larger objects being discernible. As a result, Shouto wrote on coloured paper in giant letters and he read books in large print; that way it was still possible for Shouto to read and write like those with sight. People looked different too but if he concentrated hard enough then he could make out the features of one’s face – as fuzzy as they were. It was dreadfully difficult for a young boy but he could manage it. He thought he was doing okay. Until one day when Shouto was woken up by his sister and he could no longer see her face.

‘Rapid sight loss’ and ‘unexpected extraocular accumulation of fluid’ is what the doctor told him but Shouto knew the reality of the situation. He was legally blind. Granted, he was still able to see light if it was bright enough and in that light, he could make out bright colours and the faint outlines of buildings and people but for the most part, Todoroki Shouto was without sight.

It would be unexaggerated to say that Shouto had gone off the rails after that. He often lashed out against his siblings and was rude to his classmates and teachers. To him, everyone was either too considerate or too ignorant and Shouto felt he was better off alone. He could vividly remember the frustration of learning how to use a slate and stylus, the tiredness he felt when he had to read Braille to appreciate any literature, the feeling of being useless when he could no longer play the sports he enjoyed as a child. As a result, his grades dropped, his school participation was poor and everyone avoided him.

That was until he met a boy called Midoriya Izuku.

To everyone else, Shouto exuded a melancholy and repellent aura. They all knew of his lack of sight but they were too scared to start a conversation due to his infamous boorish responses and eventually, people began to ignore him entirely. However, that changed in the first year of middle school, when Midoriya decided it would be wise to take a seat in front of Shouto’s desk.

_“Hello! My name is Midoriya Izuku,” silence ensued his introduction, “Oh sorry! Let me start again. Hello Todoroki-kun-“_

_“I know you were talking to me,” Shouto cut him off harshly, the feeling of the familiar, overly mindful treatment creeping up on Shouto, “You don’t need to speak to me,”_

_“I don’t need to but I want to,” the boy’s – Midoriya Izuku – voice was cheerful and Shouto scowled._

_“I don’t want to speak to you,” Shouto said, his voice full of conviction, he wanted to be alone, it was easier to be alone._

_“That’s okay, I’ll just speak then,”_

_Shouto snapped his head up to face the voice, “What?” he asked bemused,_

_“A good friendship always consists of talking and listening, so for now I’ll do the talking and you, the listening. And then later, when you’re more comfortable, we can swap!” Shouto didn’t need to see to know that Midoriya was beaming at him._

_“Whatever,” Shouto mumbled, at a loss on how to respond to such a weird suggestion befitting of the unusual boy._

“What’s wrong?” Midoriya asks as they walk the 15-minute-long journey from the dorms to Yuuei.

Shouto shakes his head to indicate nothing is amiss, “Just reminiscing.”

“Ah, the serene atmosphere of spring must have provoked your memory,” Iida pipes up in a textbook-like manner and Shouto just smiles slightly, “Perhaps.”

“Oi, shit-faces! Get out of the way,” the voice of Bakugo Katsuki, along with the incessant ringing of his bike bell, fills the briefly silent air and Shouto moves closer to Midoriya to allow Bakugo to pass (who he had heard coming on his left side). As Shouto feels the rush of wind that followed Bakugo’s bike, he calls out to him,

“It was nice of you to grace us with your unnecessarily loud voice this morning, Bakugo.”

“Fuck off!” was his response to which Shouto breaths out a closed-mouth laugh. If there was someone who treated him like he was perfectly fine, and without disability, it was Bakugo. Midoriya was his closest friend, sure, but his kind nature made it impossible to ignore Shouto’s affliction and Iida, being the class president, could never disregard the woes (serious or not) of his fellow classmates. Bakugo, however, could care less if someone was blind or missing an arm or had hearing problems; he never believed that it made someone less of a person.

“Well, it’s always nice to see Bakugo-san, I suppose,” Iida coughs and recomposes himself after Bakugo’s rather unexpected arrival and leave.

“I still can’t believe that we’re in the same class after all these years,” Midoriya laughs nervously which Shouto takes a note of. Midoriya had said that he and Bakugo were ‘childhood friends’ who had separated due to their attendance of different middle schools but it seemed to be more one-sided as he had discovered during first year. Thankfully, Bakugo’s apparent distaste towards Midoriya had simmered down after a year and now he was more bark than bite. Though, he could still pack a hefty bite, Shouto supposes.

“Speaking of class, we have arrived at school!” Iida claps his hands and marches on towards their classroom, dragging along Midoriya who in turn drags Shouto. Iida was a force to be reckoned with when it came to punctuality and soon enough, the three found themselves at the door of 2-A.

“Good morning class!” Iida bellows out and the chatter of the class halts as everyone exchanges greetings with the three. Shouto moves carefully towards his desk which, like in first year, was at the back of the room.

“Yo, Todoroki!” Shouto stops fumbling around in his bag to look up at Kaminari – or look in the direction his voice was coming from.

“Morning,” Shouto replies, knowing all too well that Kaminari was excited to tell him something, “What is it?”

The sound of a chair skidding across the floor can be heard and Shouto deduces that Kaminari has now invaded his personal space, “Apparently, there’s a new student transferring into our class today,” he says conspiratorially.

“Okay.”

“A _female_ student.”

“Okay.”

“From a private school.”

“Okay.”

“And Jirou says she knows her and that she’s mad pretty,” Shouto can pretty much _hear_ the twinkle in his eyes,

“Are you sure you want your girlfriend to overhear this?” Kaminari and Jirou had begun dating at the end of first year but Shouto sometimes thought that Kaminari acted too frivolous to appear as a man in a relationship.

“Yeah, _Kaminari_ , do you want me to overhear this?” Jirou’s mockingly kind voice had now joined the conversation and Kaminari yelps, “I’m just telling him what you told me! I promise!” The anxiousness causing his voice to raise a few octaves.

“Stop bothering Todoroki with your unneeded chatter and come to your desk, form time is about to begin. Sorry Todoroki,” Jirou’s stern voices softens a little as she hastily apologises to Shouto before dragging her boyfriend to their seats, whose jittery apologies and small cries resound in the room.

Left alone again, Shouto ponders over what Kaminari had told him. He somewhat remembers talk of a transfer student but never cared enough to divulge in the conversations. Shouto was at peace with the friends he had and wasn’t looking to befriend anyone else, not with the difficulties he had making his friends in the first place.

_It’s a girl anyway, doubt we’d be engaged in a conversation any time soon._

Just as the thought passed through his head, Aizawa-sensei (who remained their teacher – much to his dismay) entered the classroom, talking with a drowsy voice, “Okay brats, today we have a new student joining us.” As soon as he says the words, a flutter of quiet chatter arises amongst the class and Shouto catches phrases such as: “Wow, she’s tall,” “Taller than Bakugo, that’s for sur-ow!” “She’s so pretty! She has the eyes of a cat,” “And the chest of a well-endowed woman!” Shouto was clearly able to recognise who the last comment belonged to and he rolls his eyes in distaste at the lecherous tone.

“QUIET!” Aizawa-sensei’s voice booms out, reverberating against the walls and a quick hush falls upon everyone, “Now, please introduce yourself newbie, as I help myself to my sleeping bag,” his sentence finishes on a drawl and Shouto hears the rustle of his portable sleeping device. His ears soon focus on another noise, however, as a graceful and poised voice follows,

“Good morning everyone. My name is Yaoyorozu Momo, and I hope to become well acquainted with all of you here.”

There is a silence where Shouto suspects that everyone is just staring at the new student before the snoring stops and Aizawa-sensei’s sleep-ridden voice fills the stagnant air, “Ah, Iida-kun, you can assign her a seat,” and then the snoring commences once again.

“Hello Yaoyorozu-san! My name is Iida Tenya and I am your class president from now on,” Shouto doesn’t hear her respond but assumes she made an understanding gesture of some sort, “Now, the only empty seat is beside Todoroki-san, so I hope that seating arrangement befits you.” Shouto tenses after hearing Iida and even more after hearing her response, “Ah yes, that is perfectly fine!”

Shouto drops his head as he hears the soft footsteps approach the back of the classroom – he hopes that she’ll just sit down and take no notice of him. He hears the screech of the chair legs against the floor and then a second screech as she makes herself comfortable at her new desk. Shouto breathes out a sigh of relief as it seems that Yaoyorozu had paid him no mind, making no sound of surprise at his dual-coloured hair or eyes or at his scar. Prior to the shock people demonstrated at his blindness, strangers first gasped at or scorned the discrepancies of his appearance. But just as the tension leaves his body, it all rushes back in, stiffening his posture and stalling his mind as Yaoyorozu does the unexpected.

“Hello Todoroki-san! It seems we are seatmates. I hope we can get along!”

Shouto could _hear_ the smile in her voice, the cordiality just dripping off every word as her composed and amicable aura invaded his own. And with that one interaction with his new seatmate, Shouto was hit with the innate realisation, that he was doomed.

 

 

* * *

 

_**Momo pins her mother with a look of sincere determination.** _

_**"Mother, I want to go to Yuuei."** _


	2. "How exciting!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo was used to shocking people with her words, and boy, is Todoroki about to find out why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeyyyy!! I'm posting the second chapter pretty soon after the first but I can't help it! I felt the need to update this so that the 'intro' chapters were done.  
> At times throughout this fic, I'll write that Shouto 'looked' or 'glanced' at someone/something but don't worry, I haven't forgotten he's blind here, it just means that he's looking/glancing in that direction (e.g. if he hears a voice, he'll look in the direction of that voice, hence why it looks like he's looking at them)  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter from Momo's perspective! I kept wanting to switch to Shouto's pov but I want to keep switching between them so you guys can see how they both feel haha :)  
> These two chapters are pretty basic and not that long because I'm introducing the two characters but from here, we really get into their relationship and some other characters too :)

_Deep breaths Momo, deep breaths_. After Momo had composed herself, she straightens her posture and faces her mother, “Mother, I have something I wish to discuss with you.”

“What is it, dear?” Momo pins her mother with a look of sincere determination, “Mother, I want to go to Yuuei.” If this were any other situation, Momo would have chuckled at the look of genuine surprise on her mother’s face.

“Momo, you go to a very prestige school already-,” Momo cuts her off, “I’ve thought it about since second year started and I truly wish to go to Yuuei!” She bites her lip in trepidation, “Please Mother?”

Her mother sighs, “You do know how hard your father and I have worked to place you in that school right?” Momo nods, “I do! And I will be eternally grateful but sometimes…I feel like I could be experiencing more! More of a normal high school life,” she sends her mother a pleading stare.

“You hear these stories from Kyouka, yes?” Momo nods her confirmation and speaks, “I ask her. The stories she tells me about her days at Yuuei seem normal to any other student but to me they’re riveting!” Momo’s mother looks at her daughter and sighs once more upon seeing the stubborn determination and genuine excitement in her eyes.

“Well, I suppose I’ll make the arrangements for you to start at Yuuei,” Momo jumps up, her voice filled with anticipation, “Really? Oh, Mother, I love you!” She bounces over to hug her mother who smiles fondly, thinking how alike her daughter was to her. “I’ll speak to your father about this but I don’t suppose he’ll offer much resistance if this is truly what you want.”

“Oh, it is! Thank you!” Momo kisses her mother on the cheek before hurrying out the room; she had to tell Kyouka the good news.

 

***

 

“You’re coming to Yuuei?!” Kyouka shrieks down the phone at the surprising news and Momo laughs in glee, “Yes! Next week I’ll be able to experience the life of a Yuuei student!”

“It’s pretty mundane though, just lessons that you have to try and stay awake through and those infernal gym classes where you’re forced to play dodgeball because the coach is a sadistic demon,” Kyouka’s voice ends on a slightly spiteful tone.

“That’s thrilling to me! Yuuei has sport festivals, cultural festivals and not to mention day duty!” Momo responds in a cheerier tone, “Day duty?! You’re excited for day duty?!” Kyouka questions, perplexed at Momo’s enthusiasm towards an obligation that most students despised.

“Yes Kyouka! You know that my current school doesn’t partake in any festivals and we have cleaners who deal with the cleaning of classrooms. It’s like the students are put on a pedestal, as if we’re supposed to look down on anyone that’s not amongst our ranks,” her tone grows bitter as she remembers the reason she wanted to leave the private academy she had attended for most of her school life.  

“Well, screw that school! You’re coming here and I can’t wait to finally have someone who’s sane in this class,” Momo laughs at Kyouka’s comment and they continue to chat about what it would be like once Momo enters Yuuei.

 

***

 

The days passed by fairly quickly and now, Momo found herself at the front of class 2-A. She kept a small smile on her face as she looked around the class as her new form teacher spoke to the class.

“Now, please introduce yourself newbie, as I help myself to my sleeping bag,” Momo startles a bit as Aizawa-sensei actually takes out a sleeping bag but she remembers how Kyouka told her that he had a weird habit of sleeping at any opportunity. She turns back to class to introduce herself, “Good morning everyone. My name is Yaoyorozu Momo, and I hope to become well acquainted with all of you here.”

She waits patiently as her new class president – Iida Tenya – assigns her seat and when he motions towards the back, her eyes follow his arm towards her given seat. Facing Iida once more, she nods and then moves towards her new seat, her ears picking up all the quiet whispers as she walks past. Her heart hammers in her chest with nervousness but she keeps up the smile – Kyouka had told her that the class was chaotic but generally very nice and welcoming, so she chose to believe her. As Momo settles in her desk, she finally takes notice of her seatmate – Todoroki is what Iida referred to him as – on her right; his head is slightly drooped and she observes his unusual hair which is obstructing her view of his face. Iida says something about welcoming her into the class and the boy next to her lifts his head slightly and she can see the marred, red skin surrounding his left eye and she tilts her head curiously, _I wonder how he got that?_

Soon, she realises that she’s staring, and as she’s one to never be improper, she clears her throat and turns to greet him, “Hello Todoroki-san! It seems we are seatmates. I hope we can get along!”

He visibly stiffens at her voice and she frowns at his reaction. Perhaps he was shy around new people? However, after a few seconds he mumbles a quick “Hello,” and then turns his attention towards the front of the class where Aizawa-sensei had gruffly awoken to start teaching the first lesson. Momo watches Todoroki a bit more, hoping she hadn’t made him uncomfortable, when she notices his writing equipment. _A slate and stylus?_ Her eyes widen as the understanding dawns on her and she rotates her body so that she is also facing the front but her mind wanders – Kyouka hadn’t mentioned anything about a Todoroki, let alone the fact that he was blind.

When lunch time rolled around, Kyouka and a couple of other girls from the class surrounded Momo’s desk to eat. Kyouka starts speaking first, “Okay so we should probably do introductions before we start talking,” Momo smiles gratefully at Kyouka who sent her a quick thumbs-up.

“Hi, I’m Uraraka Ochako!” A bubbly girl with large eyes and pink cheeks spoke and Momo smiles at her cute character. Next, a girl with bright pink hair introduces herself, “Ashido Mina here!”

“Asui Tsuyu.”

“Hagakure Tooru!”

Momo smiles blithely at all the new faces around her with their lunches set out around her desk, her heart swelling with happiness – she finally felt like she was experiencing the school life she had always admired.

In the midst of eating, Uraraka pauses to ask Momo a question, “Ah! How would you like us to call you?” Momo opens her mouth to tell them they could just call her by her first name but then she blushes, fidgeting as a new idea comes into her head. She could ask them to call her by a nickname, right? She had always wanted a nickname. “Y-you may call me Yaomomo,” she says timidly, embarrassed by her own suggestion but also hoping that they would accept it.

“Yaomomo? That’s so cute! I like it!” Ashido speaks excitedly as the other girls agree and Momo sighs in relief – _they like it!_

After a couple of minutes of chatter and laughter, Hagakure stares at Momo seriously who she bites her lip nervously, “So, Yaomomo, you’re sat next to our resident ikemen, correct?”

Momo gives a look of surprise at the topic, “Ikemen?”

“Yeah! Todoroki. You don’t think he’s handsome?” Ashido questions Momo, as if it were unthinkable to think otherwise, “I’m not sure, I didn’t see his face properly.”

“Did Jirou-chan not tell you about him?” Asui asks and the girls look towards Kyouka who simply shrugs. “Well, that’s because she’s already got a boyfriend, must feel it unnecessary to talk about other boys,” Ashido heckles and Kyouka punches her on the arm.

Uraraka laughs at their bickering before turning back to Momo, “Did you talk to him at all?” Momo nods, “I did but it was very brief, I wonder if he doesn’t like speaking to new people?” She looks slightly downcast at the thought and Uraraka fumbles for a response,

“No! It’s not you or anything. He’s just quiet normally, he only really talks with Deku-kun and Iida-kun and sometimes Bakugo. I heard he doesn’t converse much because of erm…,” she trails off as she approaches the sensitive topic.

“Because of his blindness?”

“Jirou-chan!” Kyouka shrugs again, “What? It’s true, it’s not like we have to tread on eggshells, I’m pretty sure that’ll make him feel more uncomfortable.” Momo ponders over Kyouka’s statement before announcing that she’s going to get drinks for them.

Once she reaches the vending machine (which she had seen on her way to the classroom this morning), she spots another person already there, frowning at the machine.

“Todoroki-san!” He jumps slightly at her bright voice, turning towards her and Momo falters as she sees his appearance properly for the first time. She thought that the girls had been exaggerating when they described him as incredibly attractive but now, seeing him so close up, Momo had to agree. His hair fell over his forehead messily and although the two halves were distinctly different in colour, there were some hairs from each side that infiltrated the other. Momo couldn’t even focus on his scar when she notices his heterochromatic eyes, ever so slightly cloudy but still piercing as they look at her. It’s only when his eyebrows furrow at the prolonged silence that Momo averts her gaze, wondering whether the warmth in her face was due to him or her embarrassment in rudely staring.

“Yaoyorozu?” His voice is deep – and questioning – which Momo supposes is because he had only met her and so her voice was still foreign to him. Though, she did feel the unequivocal feeling of delight spread through her at the fact that he had still been able to discern that it was her.

“Ah, yes. I was just wondering why you were frowning at the vending machine?” She only hopes that she sounds composed as she awaits his answer, “I was?”

She laughs at his confused tone – did he really not notice? “Yes, had it angered you in some way?” She jokes and Todoroki’s face relaxes and he points at the machine, “It won’t give me the drink I paid for.” Momo laughs once more at his accusing tone and moves to inspect the machine. True to his words, Todoroki had paid for a drink – a green tea – which was currently stuck, verging on falling into the collection bin below.

“It’s stuck,” she says and Todoroki frowns again, “Really? I knew this blasted thing was too old,” he mutters and Momo smiles – for someone so allegedly bad at upholding a conversation, he was doing quite well.

“I think I can get it out,” Momo assures him, “How will you do that?” He asks but Momo is already hitting the machine with a loud BANG! The drink clatters to the bottom and she bends down to pick it up, turning towards Todoroki who looks very confused.

“Here,” she places the can into his palm and he looks at her, still very much baffled, “Did you just hit the vending machine?”

“Yes, I did. They usually drop if you give it a small punch,” at Momo’s explanation, Todoroki’s face morphs into one of amusement and she admires the way his features light up in a silent laugh. Just as Momo was marvelling at the entertainment in his eyes, his expression suddenly turns sullen as he questions her, “You do know, right?”

Momo pouts, befuddled by his random query, “Know what?”

“That I’m blind,” he scowls as he utters the word and Momo mouths a silent ‘ah’ in realisation.

“Yes, I know.”

Todoroki glances at her, surprised by her nonchalant tone, “And?” He asks, “And what? Am I supposed to treat you any different because you’re blind?” Todoroki opens and closes his mouth in bewilderment at Momo’s laid-back nature.

“I will admit that most people will immediately change their behaviour once they learn someone is blind or deaf or disabled. But you clearly don’t like that and I don’t believe that I should act any different with you than I am with anyone else. Besides, you seem perfectly capable, apart from your strife with the vending machine,” Momo chuckles but Todoroki looks at her with an expression akin to shock.

“Ah! Would you look at the time? Class will be beginning soon, I don’t have the time to buy drinks now! Goodbye Todoroki-san, see you in class!” Momo hurries off to the classroom and Todoroki merely nods in acknowledgement, still positively dumbfounded.

Once Momo returns, Kyouka looks at her with one eyebrow raised, “Excuse me? Where are our dri-,” she cuts herself off once she notices Momo’s expression, “Erm, why are you grinning like that? It’s kinda like Kaminari’s and that’s _not_ a good thing,” but Momo just beams even further,

“I think I’m going to really like it here, Kyouka.”

Kyouka eyes her weirdly, “Well, yeah, you best do. You did leave that fancy school just to come here,” but Momo ignores her jest, sitting down with a satisfied expression on her face.

_Yeah, I’m going to like it very much._

 

* * *

 

**_“We should watch it together!”_ **

**_Shouto feels sweat gather on his temple; his whole life, he had dealt with people who avoided him and now he was faced with the problem of someone doing the exact opposite._ **


	3. "Curry for the win."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shouto thought he was an expert at dealing with difficult people after meeting Bakugo, but Yaoyorozu just had to prove him wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so I am so sorry for how late this chapter is! I started it ages ago and just never had inspiration and then I had a theory test to revise for and a spontaneous holiday (like wha?)  
> I had the first 2 chaps planned out and all these ideas for future chaps and I'm like "so errr now how do I fill the gap?" and here I present a 'gap filler' chapter (I'm not that happy with it but sometimes these things happen) so I hope you keep reading it because it might be painful (sorry) but I will get there! To all the fluff! And possible angst, I don't know yet. Like after writing In Between the Here and Now, I totally had to sit back for a while and get back in touch with the Shouto and Momo of this story (like yes you imbecile Shouto is blind now stop saying he watches someone BECAUSE HE CAN'T)
> 
> So yes, in conclusion, I am very sorry but please continue reading, I love you all for doing so <3
> 
> \---SPOILER WARNING---
> 
> There's a spoiler in this chapter for 'Murder on the Orient Express' by Agatha Christie so if you plan on reading/watching that you should probably go do so before reading this *thumbs up* 
> 
> ok i'll go now

"9!”

Shouto grits his teeth - that was the third nine he had received today - he knew he could do better. He re-positions himself, slotting his foot against the foot marker and prepares to aim once more and calls out to boy next to him, “Midoriya, spot me.”

“Okay, Todoroki-kun!” Shouto can hear the shuffling of his friend’s feet as he readies himself to relay Shouto’s score to him. Exhaling, Shouto prepares to shoot the next arrow - after years of practice, he was able to remember the poise he needed to adopt to shoot correctly.

_One more, Shouto, you can do it._

After reassuring himself, he straightens his posture and releases his arrow, the sound of the sharp tip embedding itself into the wood of the target resounding only a few seconds after. Shouto rests his arms and awaits his score, “10! Well done, Todoroki-kun!” He breathes out, dropping his head - that was more like it.

Shouto begins to disassemble his uniform, packing away his bow when Midoriya speaks, “I heard that they’re replacing that vending machine by our class.” Shouto raises a brow, “They are? It’s about time,” he mutters the last part but Midoriya hears him anyway.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“My drink got stuck in it the other day, Yaoyorozu had to get it out,” as soon as the words leave his mouth, Shouto regrets it, wishing he had held his tongue to avoid the curiosity which was about to bloom from his words.

“Wait? Yaoyorozu-san? You talked to her?” He doesn’t need to say it but Shouto can clearly hear the question in his sentence - _you talked to someone new?_ He doesn’t take offence though, knowing it to be completely true. Talking to Yaoyorozu that day was the first time he had spoken so casually to someone he didn’t know, in a very long time. He could still remember her words from that day, their connotations burning into his memory - as blunt as Bakugo was, even he had never spoken to Shouto in such a straightforward manner before.

Shouto clears his voice awkwardly, “Yeah, it was only for a few minutes though. Hardly a conversation at all,” he only hopes that Midoriya will refrain from asking further questions.

Luckily for him, Midoriya knew when to stop pushing and did just that, “Okay, well that’s nice. It’s always a good thing to talk to new classmates but that aside, we should probably hurry if we want to make it for period one.” Shouto nods his agreement, hurrying his actions and stuffing all of his belongings haphazardly into his bag.   

“We should, especially since it’s home economics.”

***

Home economics being first period wasn’t Shouto’s favourite part of the day, to say the least. Scratch that. Having home economics _in the first place_ was something that he wasn’t fond of purely because cooking when blind, was well, difficult. Shouto always felt useless as he stood around as his group bustled around their station, busy with numerous tasks that he was inadequate at doing.

He sighs as he ties his apron around his waist - today they were making curry, which was easy enough in theory but a tedious task for Shouto. To add to his worsening luck, the task was to be completed in pairs so he had no choice but to help out despite his blundering nature within the kitchen.  

“Oh! Todoroki-san! It appears we are partners!” Shouto stiffens - as if he wasn’t feeling apprehensive enough, Yaoyorozu being his partner was like the cherry on top. He nods in return to her comment, swallowing the nervousness that comes with talking to someone who was barely an acquaintance. Even though he had known Yaoyorozu for a miniscule amount of time, from his one encounter with her, he could infer that she had an amiable nature like no other. _And that terrified him._

“Hm,” Shouto tilts his head as he hears his partner mumble to herself, “I’ve never had curry before.” Hearing this makes Shouto turn his attention towards her in surprise, “Never?”

“Yes. I grew up eating...multiple cuisines but never curry,” he feels as if there is a certain uneasiness in her voice as she speaks and certain memories of his own upbringing flash through his mind. He had also grown without experiencing more standard dishes such as curry, only eating it for the first time at Midoriya’s house during middle school.

“I think you’ll like it,” Shouto isn’t sure why he feels the sudden need to assure her but a small part of him feels like he can relate to her in some way.

Her voice suddenly brightens as she says, “I think I will.”

After her response, Shouto hears the clattering of kitchen utensils and he assumes that she’s begun assembling what they need. He can hear her murmuring as she ticks off what she needs and he stands there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Once a few minutes have passed, her voice enters the air once again.

“Okay, I think we have what we need, so let’s begin!” Shouto blinks in bewilderment - he’s used to his partner fumbling with their words or being unsure of whether or not to include him, but, Yaoyorozu simply wants to begin?

Clearing his throat, he speaks hesitantly, “What should I do?"

“Well, I’ll start with cutting the vegetables and you can put all the necessary spices and stock into the pot. I’ve already placed all of them near the stove, so just throw them in and keep stirring, think you can handle it?”

Shouto isn’t sure what to think of her level of preparedness and he’s somewhat afraid of her ability to be so... _inclusive_. “Yeah, I can do that,” he shuffles over to the end with the stovetop and feels around for the ingredients. Sure enough, he can feel small bowls placed in a line next to the large pot and he clenches his hand around one. Conflicting feelings course through him at the idea of someone treating him so normally; it was something he wanted his whole life but something he accepted that would never happen.

“Todoroki-san?” The sound of chopping pauses as she calls him in an inquisitive tone and he snaps his head in her direction, “I’m fine, I’ll start now.” To prove it, he grabs the jug containing the stock and he pours it steadily into the pot, the sound of the liquid splashing within the metal instrument assuring him that he hadn’t missed the mark. The sound of the knife hitting the board resumes and Shouto turns back to his own task, focusing on the sound of the stock bubbling.

A short while passes, the two consumed in their work before Yaoyorozu talks again, “I’m done with the vegetables and meat, I’ll add it in now,” she moves to stand next to Shouto who halts his stirring to allow her to shove the remaining ingredients into the pot.

“Ah! It smells amazing, good work, Todoroki-san!”

Raising a brow, he replies, “I just put in what was already given to me,” a child could have done what he had.

“So did Kaminari and Sero and let me tell you that their curry looks anything but that,” she chuckles and suddenly, the sound of the aforementioned pair panicking becomes clear to his ears.

“For once, I’m glad I can’t see then,” Shouto mutters and Yaoyorozu laughs once more, “I’m not even sure how they managed to get it to become black.” Shouto blanches at the thought and he shakes his head,

“That’s a mystery I’m sure I don’t want to investigate.”

There’s a small ‘ding’ sound to his right to which Yaoyorozu responds, “Oh, that’s the rice, I’ll just turn the cooker off.” Shouto feels a small pressure on his left side and he narrows his eyes in bafflement - _what’s happening?_ He then hears a small gasp and he swivels his head in the direction of the sound.

“What’s wr-,” he cuts himself off as his nose brushes against something. After a moment of silent confusion, the sensation of hair too long to be his own becomes apparent on his cheek and there’s a soft wash of warm breath diffusing over his face.

In the span of a second, Shouto jerks backwards, dropping the wooden spoon in his hand to the floor in a clatter. He forgoes picking it up as Yaoyorozu begins to speak, her voice barely audible above the rhythmic beating of his heart.

“I-I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking! I shouldn’t have leaned over you to get to the rice cooker, that was awfully stupid of me,” Yaoyorozu stumbles over her words in an embarrassed frenzy but Shouto stands incredibly still. The tips of his ears feel unusually hot and he musses his hair with a shaky hand in an attempt to cover them.

“It’s fi-,” his voice catches, “It’s fine,” he says more steadily and Yaoyorozu stops her extended apology, now speaking timidly, “I’ll just get the rice now.” Shouto can hear her footsteps as she walks around him and once she passes him entirely, he exhales. The last time his heart had palpitated so quickly was when he had accidentally broken his sister’s favourite perfume and was tasked with hiding the remnants. But, he definitely didn’t feel so warm during that time compared to now and he now puzzled over his odd reaction.

Thankfully, the rest of the class went swimmingly, apart from when Kaminari and Sero were rushed to the infirmary after intaking their dubious curry. Yaoyorozu remained quiet in the remainder of the class, only speaking up to say her goodbyes to Shouto.

Now, sat in the desolate library, Shouto could finally relax. It was a known fact that he didn’t fare well in situations which forced him to interact so excessively and he was definitely not good with being so close to other people. Feeling slightly suffocated, he loosens his tie, sighing once he feels at ease with the alleviation of the constriction.

There was a reason Shouto wasn’t fond of home economics and he shivers at the realisation of the numerous amount of classes to come in the year. As soon as the thought passes through his mind, a sliver of guilt enters it. It wasn’t fair to think that, this class had a reasonably good outcome - his and Yaoyorozu’s curry turned out to be the best in the class. And he supposes that she had involved him in the process as fully as she could have and he was comfortable with it, until... _stop._

Agitation creeps into Shouto’s mind as he recalls the previous incident, the feeling of someone - _a girl_ \- in his personal space. He tugs at his tie once more.

“Todoroki-kun!” A hushed voice alerts Shouto to the other presence in the otherwise isolated room and he places his book down.

“Midoriya,” he greets, facing forward as he hears Midoriya pulling a chair out across the table, “All Might sensei wanted me to tell you that he’s impressed by your improvement.”

Shouto nods gingerly at the comment, “That’s good?”

“Why do you sound so unsure?”

“Sorry,” he starts, “I guess I’m not used to compliments,” his voice hardens marginally and there’s a brief moment of silence before Midoriya changes the subject.

“Your curry was really good,” Shouto has never mentioned it but he has always been grateful for Midoriya’s swift topic changes when the air ever became tense, “It was, Yaoyorozu is good at cooking.”

“You looked really busy too,” Midoriya’s voice is indicative and Shouto sighs, “I suppose. She made it really easy for me to participate.”

Shouto’s answer seems to satisfy Midoriya as he hums, “Is your head okay?” Shouto raises a brow, wondering if Midoriya was actually being impolite for once but decides that, that’s more Bakugo’s forte.

“What do you mean?” He chooses to question him instead,

“It looked like you and Yaoyorozu bumped heads at one point.” Midoriya’s nonchalant statement causes Shouto to jolt, accidently kicking his knee up into the table before clutching it in pain.

“Are you okay?!” The sound of Midoriya’s chair can be heard skidding backwards as he presumably stands in worry and Shouto holds a hand up, “I’m okay,” he speaks through clamped teeth, “Accident.”

Letting go of his knee, which only mildly aches now, he answers Midoriya’s initial question, “My head is fine, as is hers. She was trying to reach something and accidently got close unknowingly, that’s all.” He only hopes his voice sounds as impassive as he believes it to be.

“Ah, I see, that’s what happened,” Midoriya mutters in understanding and Shouto nods affirmatively.

“Okay, well, I have to go before Kacchan realises how long I’ve been away and comes after me,” he speaks sheepishly and Shouto once again ponders the premises of their friendship, “I’ll see you in class, bye Todoroki-kun!”

Shouto waves shortly before dropping his hand after the door slams shut, the sound resounding in the silent library. Picking up his book once more, he deftly smooths his fingertips across the braille. He endeavours to picture the words in his mind but to no avail and he huffs. Over the years, even his ability to think in images and colours had tarnished, yet Shouto would still try despite the frustration clawing at his throat, like a volcano at the peak of eruption.

There’s the distant sound of the door scraping against the floor.

He isn’t aware that he’s gripping the book tightly until a voice brings him out of the whirlwind that is his thoughts. The pressure of his fingers against the crisp pages eases as he racks his mind for who the voice belongs to.

It isn’t long before the recognition dawns upon him, “Yaoyorozu?”

Shouto wants to laugh at the irony of having just talked about her and then her actually being here, “What are you doing here?”

He regrets the words straight away, the sentence sounding harsher than he intended due to his earlier troubling thoughts. She doesn’t seem affected, however, “I hadn’t seen the library yet so I thought I would check it out,” she pauses before making a sound of surprise, “Is that ‘Murder on the Orient Express’!?”

Shouto flinches at her excited tone and closes the book to expose its title, “Oh, it is! Agatha Christie is a marvelous author! My go-to when I’m in the mood for some mystery.”

Sensing that it was his turn to speak, Shouto agrees with her, “She is.”

“I’ve read that book countless times, the twists and turns get to me each time! The way Poirot explicates the mystery on the train is stunning! It never once crossed my mind, that it would finish the way it did!” She avoids speaking of any spoilers in the book as she dialogues.

“I am enjoying it so far,” Shouto forces himself to continue the conversation, regardless of his instinctive want to remain quiet, “I believe that they’ll all be the culprit, though.”

Yaoyorozu breathes in sharply, “Why would you think that?”

“They all seem to have some sort of connection to the victim, and it appears to be the most likely ending given Poirot’s unusual struggles with the case,” his voice is direct, almost indifferent but Yaoyorozu seems taken with his words.

“Have you read the book before?”

“No.”

She pauses before her next comment, “I see you are the deductive type, Todoroki-san.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all, in fact, I believe it to be a strength!” Her voice is strong as she praises him and he falters at the unexpected approval of his character. He swallows as a silence settles over them. Shouto has never met someone as forward as Yaoyorozu before; she spoke her mind clearly and never once appeared to find his blight troubling. The treatment was so new to him that it almost scared him.

The silence leaves as soon as it came with Yaoyorozu’s next words, “Have you seen the movie?”

His eyebrows furrow, “What?”

“‘Murder on the Orient Express.’ There’s a movie adaptation of it,” she explains.

“Oh, no, then,” Shouto doesn’t expect his answer to cause her to do what she does next. She slams her palms onto the table and the vibrations travel through the table, tickling his elbows that rest upon it.

“You haven’t?”

Shouto’s heart feels weak with all of her unexpected actions, “Er, no?”

“We should watch it together!”

Shouto feels sweat gather on his temple; his whole life, he had dealt with people who avoided him and now he was faced with the problem of someone doing the exact opposite.

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” this was all too much for him to handle.

“I do believe it is. You’ll enjoy it, trust me,” her voice is so assured that a feeling of calm rolls over him in spite of the trepidation he had just been feeling moments earlier.

And due to that fact, he finds himself saying something he’s certain he’ll regret.

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

  **"You're blushing."**

**"No, I'm not."**

**"Yes you are, so either you just ran a marathon or Todoroki did something," she pauses, "And my bet is on the latter."**


	4. "A home cinema!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo really had to find out why she kept blushing so much lately.
> 
> She also had to figure out what was wrong with Todoroki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am actually so bad at updating this :(  
> I'm really and truly sorry - I do still wanna continue this but updates will probably still be quite slow (uni starts soon, sad times) but if you want something to read in the meantime, check out In Between the Here and Now which updates weekly!  
> Regardless, I hope you still enjoy this chapter and stay to see the end of this fic!  
> Your comments do truly make my day so if you want to leave any, then go ahead! :)

“So,” Ashido slides into the seat across Momo with an impish grin, “Rumour has it that _you_ and our resident cold yet totally hot classmate have been hitting it off!”

“Mina-chan! You can’t just start a conversation like that!” Uraraka reprimands the bubbly girl, saying a quick ‘Hello’ to Momo before seating herself at the table. She sets her tray down and Momo raises a brow at the two puddings on it, knowing that the cafeteria staff only give out one dessert per person.

“They gave you two puddings?”  

Uraraka’s face flushes slightly and she smiles sheepishly, “Oh no, Deku-kun gave me his,” at the mention of their freckled classmate, Momo looks over to where he’s sitting just in time to see him whip his gaze away from their table - or more specifically, from Uraraka.

Ashido laughs, punching her straw through the hole in her juice carton, “Oh, Uraraka-chan! He’s _totally_ into you!” Uraraka blushes further, glaring at Ashido before stuffing her spoon into her first pudding. Momo smiles at her embarrassed behaviour, giggling quietly when Uraraka realises she had started eating her dessert before her main meal.

“Hey losers.”

Momo looks up to see Kyouka with her own tray of food and shuffles to the side to provide space for her to sit down.

“Where’s Asui-san and Hagakure-san?” Kyouka glances at Momo, sighing at the mention of the pair before answering her question, “They’re in the IT room - they’re trying to finish off their project.”

Momo nods in understanding and there’s a brief silence before Ashido fills it, “Okay, can we please return to my initial question?”

“I’d rather not,” Kyouka mutters in between bites and Ashido scoffs, “You weren’t even here to hear it!”

“Don’t need to.”

Ashido ignores Kyouka’s remark, “So Yaomomo?” Her eyes return to the girl across from her and Momo blinks at the sudden attention, “So what?”

Sighing, Ashido presses on, “What’s up with you and Todoroki?!”

Momo forms an ‘o’ shape with her mouth and she glances at the faces around the table, “Wait. Do you all think something’s up?”

“Well,” Uraraka bites her lip, “Deku-kun told me that when he left the library the other day that you asked him where Todoroki-kun was. And then I told Mina-chan about that-”

“Big mistake,” Kyouka comments.

“Hey!”

Momo leans back, pondering Ashido’s question, “I did go to the library and I did meet Todoroki-san there and we had a short conversation about Agatha Christie.”

Ashido’s eyes are practically sparkling when she asks, “And?”

“And nothing?”

Pouting, Ashido slumps in her seat, “Well, that was anticlimactic.”

Kyouka clears her throat before speaking, “Actually, Momo, I saw that little situation between you and Todoroki during home economics. I was gonna ask you about it but I was too busy nursing that idiot back to health.” She rolls her eyes and Momo smiles, remembering how Kaminari had fallen ill after the class, leading Kyouka to nurse him for the next few days.

“That was an accident,” Momo explains, ignoring the way her heart rate increases marginally at her remembrance of the incident.

“You two were so close! I actually had to hold in my squeals during the class,” Uraraka’s gaze turns dreamy and Momo can feel her face warming gradually, “It really was an accident though!”

“Uh-huh, sure it was,” Ashido winks at Momo, pointing her juice at her, “Says the girl blushing right now.”

Momo places her palms on her cheeks, feeling the heat radiating from them and she looks down in embarrassment, “It _was_ an accident but we were very close so I had every right to be embarrassed!”

Ashido looks at her knowingly and she whines softly, realising what she wanted to get out of her, “And yes, he is an attractive-.”

“HAH! I knew it!” Ashido exclaims, raising her hands in the air, causing her to hit the boy behind her - who happens to be Monoma from class B.

“You class A freaks are so rambunctious! Don’t you know how to act in public?!” He pontificates after steadying his tray so that it wouldn’t fall and Ashido rolls her eyes, “No, I don’t. So run along before I do something much worse.”

There’s a moment of silent glaring between the two before he sticks his nose into the air and walks away towards a table full of his classmates who are sending apologetic looks towards the girls. It always seemed to be the case that Monoma’s whole class were apologising for his behaviour - like a class of parents to their one, poorly behaved child.

“What a pompous dickhead,” Ashido mutters and Kyouka and Uraraka nod, wholeheartedly agreeing.

Momo withholds judgment but even she felt somewhat annoyed by the boy’s numerous mocking remarks towards her classmates during her time at Yuuei.

“Ignoring Sir Dumbass, do you guys wanna go to that cafe that opened up near the dorms?” Ashido’s usual excitement returns, forgetting the previous topic of Momo and Todoroki and Momo sighs in relief.

“The one with the adorable parfaits? Yes please!” Uraraka claps her hands at their newly formed after school plan, “I’ll let Tsuyu-chan and Hagakure-chan know!”

Kyouka hums her agreement to the plans and Momo opens her mouth to do the same but gasps upon remembering her scheduled plans for tonight, “Oh, I can’t come today! But you guys should definitely still go!”

“How come?” Ashido asks, her eyes following Momo’s as the latter stands up with her now empty tray.

“I’ve got plans with Todoroki-san. I’ll see you guys later, okay?” And with that, Momo begins to walk away from the table but not without hearing Ashido’s loud, surprised outcry.

“WAIT, WHAT?!”

***

Momo steps back from the sofa, swiping at her forehead with the back of her hand. She had spent the last thirty minutes preparing the common room so that it would be suitable for a movie screening. Every floor had a sort of common room and they were usually occupied by the hall’s residents but since all of Momo’s friends were out at the cafe, she had the room to herself.

Well, and Todoroki.

Looking around the room, Momo finds that it seems cosy. _Too cosy._ And she begins to feel nervous.

“Come on, Momo. You’re just watching a movie with a classmate,” the conversation at lunch flickers through her head but she shakes it, ridding herself of the memory. She has to do her best at hosting - she’s done it plenty of times before, so she has no excuse to mess up now.

In the midst of reassuring herself, her phone screen lights up with a new text from Todoroki.

 

**[From Todoroki-san]**

 

**4:50: I’m here.**

 

Biting her lip, she can feel her nervousness rising but she swallows it down, pocketing her phone before rushing down the stairs to the entrance of their dorm. Once she reaches the front door, she takes a second to calm down and smoothe her clothes before opening the door.

“Midoriya-san?” Next to Todoroki is his green-haired friend who smiles tentatively, waving at Momo.

“Hi Yaoyorozu-san. I’m just here to drop Todoroki off,” Momo glances at her guest, his gaze focused away from the two conversing next to him, “He’s never been to the girls’ dorms before.”

Momo raises a brow, “And you have?”

Midoriya flushes, scratching the back of his head as he laughs anxiously, “A few times. When I was studying with erm-,”

“-Urakaka-san?” Momo finishes, smiling when the boy nods, the crimson darkening on his cheeks, “Okay, thank you for doing so. I’m sure I can take it from here.”

Midoriya beams at the girl, nudging Todoroki who grunts, “I’m gonna leave now, text me when you’re done Todoroki-kun. Have fun!” He begins to walk away, leaving only Todoroki and Momo at the entryway.

Clearing her throat, Momo steps to the side to provide room for Todoroki to enter, “Please come in.”

Todoroki looks up at her voice, falteringly stepping inside, allowing Momo to close the door behind him.

“Follow me, I stay up on the second floor.” Momo starts walking through the foyer, only speeding up when she hears Todoroki’s footsteps following her own. Halfway through the first set of stairs, she turns back to see Todoroki grasping the banister as he makes his way up.

“Need some help?” she chirps and Todoroki glares at her in return, hissing when he says, “No.”

She shrugs off his hostile tone, “Then keep up!”

He looks at her in surprise, as if he wasn’t expecting that sort of reply and she chuckles at his expression, continuing her climb up the flight of stairs. The two reach the dimly lit room and Momo leads Todoroki over to the sofa situated directly in front of the screen.

“I’ve prepared snacks, so help yourself,” Momo informs, knocking the table beside them to show Todoroki where the food is, “I’ll start the movie now, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

She gets comfortable on the sofa next to Todoroki who looks anything but, his shoulders tense and his body rigid. He visibly swallows before speaking, “I can’t actually _watch_ the movie, you know that?”

His voice is terse and Momo chews her lip, carefully considering her next words, “I don’t believe you have to see to enjoy a cinematic experience,” she starts, gaining the attention of the boy next to her, “Sometimes, when I’m too tired to keep my eyes open, I’ll put a movie on and just _listen_ to it. It’s oddly comforting.”

His eyes remain on her for a few moments before he turns his head towards the front again, only this time, his body is relaxed and Momo grins, pressing play.

“Think of it as the audio of the book - reading without actually having to _read,_ ” Momo whispers just as the movie starts and Todoroki nods, allowing himself to sit back and enjoy the movie.

Throughout the movie, Momo sneaks glances at her classmate to ensure his focus hadn’t wavered and she’s pleasantly surprised when he seems more immersed than she expected. His eyebrows are furrowed and he leans forward every now and again during Poirot’s questioning scenes and every so often, he asks Momo who’s present in the current scene. Momo feels a weight lifted off her shoulders - she wasn’t fully aware of it but she had been feeling anxious about inviting Todoroki over, unsure if he would enjoy himself as she hoped he would.

Looking at him now, Momo can see that her worries were for nothing and as the credits roll, Todoroki says, “You’re right. It was really good.”

His voice is considerably lighter than it was when he arrived and Momo smiles, “I’m glad you enjoyed it!”

Todoroki nods at her before retrieving his phone, sending a small voice text to Midoriya saying he was done. Momo gets up to turn the lights back on and when she turns back to the sofa, Todoroki is already standing.

“I should go now, Midoriya said he’s a few minutes away.”

“Sure,” Momo replies softly - she isn’t exactly sure why the thought of him leaving makes her feel so despondent, “I’ll walk you down.”

Mentally promising to clean the room up later, Momo leads Todoroki out of the room and down the stairs to the foyer. He’s just about to open the door when Momo speaks up again, the thought that had been plaguing her mind spilling from her lips, “I know you feel troubled about your affliction but I, for one, don’t mind it at all.”

His expression is one of confusion and Momo clears her throat, clarifying her words, “What I mean is, I’ve always been,” she pauses, “ _judged_ by my appearance and people usually talk about me without even having spoken to me once.

“And well, that kinda sucks but you don’t judge me for who you’ve heard me to be or from any rumours that you may have heard. I feel that you wouldn’t do that even if you could see and well, that makes me happy,” her voice is timid, barely audible as she finishes and she reprimands herself for the cluster of words that hardly make sense.

“I’m glad,” she looks at him as he responds, her eyes widening at his sincere expression, “I’m glad I’m able to learn about you from _you_ ,” his words make her heart swell for reasons unexplainable to her.

“I, erm, I like talking to you, Yaoyorozu. Thanks for talking to me that first day,” he runs his fingers through his hair, causing disarray to the fiery red and alabaster strands.

He then coughs, muttering a quick bye before opening the door. Momo replies with her own farewell, turning around to attend to the common room but she’s stopped by Todoroki’s voice and she spins on her heel to face him again.

“I’ve heard loads of people say you’re beautiful but I think they should really take the time to see that your personality is just as pretty,” he says, and his pupils flit around shortly before he clears his throat, looking in Momo’s direction one last time before stepping outside and shutting the door behind him.

Momo is positively stunned by his parting words and she clutches her cheeks in the palm of her hands, the flourishing warmth transmitting from skin to skin. Her heartbeat becomes known to her ears, the sound growing more erratic as Momo replays what he said over and over again.

She’s stood in the same position as she was when he left, only moving when a voice disrupts her repetitive cycle of thoughts, “Momo? What are you doing?”

Turning around, Momo faces her best friend who has probably recently returned from her outing to the cafe - the same best friend who is currently eyeing Momo up and down, her gaze focusing on the scatter of rouge across her face.

“You’re blushing.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes you are, so either you just ran a marathon or Todoroki did something,” she pauses, “And my bet is on the latter.”

Kyouka’s tone is insinuating and Momo knows that there’s zero possibility of hiding anything from her.

So, instead she drops to the floor, muffling her voice with her hands as she says, “I can see why everyone rhapsodizes about him now,” trying her best to ignore Kyouka’s snickering.

She doesn’t say anymore on the matter, instead sobering up and informing Momo, “Oh yeah, you gotta go clean the common room before the dorm warden sees it.”

Kyouka’s chuckles resume, louder than before, as Momo groans, throwing a glare at her friend for the unneeded reminder.

***

The next morning, when Momo enters the school, the first person she picks out amongst the crowd is Todoroki who’s changing shoes at his locker. Breathing in and out, she steels herself, putting a smile on her face before approaching him.

“Good morning, Todoroki-san!”

When he turns to face her, his words from the previous evening flicker through her mind and her smile falters as the heat creeps up her neck. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she rids herself of the memory, waiting for Todoroki’s reply.

A few seconds pass where Todoroki doesn’t say anything, simply clenching his jaw as he faces Momo and she blinks, tilting her head, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he grounds out, slamming his locker shut and causing Momo to jump. He turns around, beginning to walk away and Momo hesitates before catching up with him.

“Oh, if you’re sure-”

She can barely finish her sentence when Todoroki twists around to stare at her, “I am sure. Leave me alone, I don’t need you sticking _your fucking nose in_ ,” he says, rancor coating his words.

He moves away from her, walking off as Momo watches after him and she can feel the familiar feeling of hurt burgeoning within her and her lower lip trembles as she breathes out shakily. She was so sure that his cold exterior had crumbled somewhat after yesterday and although distant, he had never been so _venomous_ when speaking to her before. And now, it seemed he had crawled back even further into his shell and as much as Momo tells herself that there must be a reason for his coarse behaviour, it doesn’t dull the sting from his words.

Looking up, Momo finds that she has attracted a few stares and she sniffs, composing herself before changing her shoes and heading to class. Her stride wavers upon remembering who her seatmate is but she shakes her head, holding it high.

She may feel hurt but she won’t allow it to be displayed. She’s never let the pain show and she isn’t about to start now. 

 

* * *

 

_**"I'm sorry."**  
_


	5. "What's happening?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reconciliation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooooo I'm literally the worst author like why am I so abysmal at uploading?? (ok tbf I am super busy all of a sudden which is quite overwhelming)  
> BUT I'm going to finish this fic, even it takes me ages (I just hope you guys will keep reading *nervous smile*)  
> It's kind of late here and I'm really tired but I wanted to upload this now because well, I just don't want to put it off because knowing me, I'll forget.  
> Also, this chapter is around 2.8k which isn't a lot but there will be longer chapters in the future! When we start getting into the swing of things more so don't worry :)  
> Forgive me if there are errors - my eyesight is literally blurry because of the tiredness haha
> 
> Regardless, I hope you all enjoy! Your comments are truly what keep me going with writing!! <3

Shouto is _furious._ He thought that he had developed a way of retaining his anger by now but when his father had called that morning, the discourse that ensued left Shouto’s blood boiling within his veins.

He had no right. _No right._

Todoroki Enji had spoken many hateful things but Shouto was trained at deflecting them, learning to bottle up his feelings through the years but today, he had enough. There was a lot of things that Shouto can handle coming from his father but the one thing that he would not accept is scorn towards his mother.

 _“If it weren’t for_ **_her_ ** _, you would be exactly what I planned you to be.”_

Shouto breathes heavily through his nose as clips from the exchange flicker through his mind. The usual boisterous chatter of his class surrounds him but Shouto can’t hear anything apart from the callous voice of his father tearing him down.

 _It’s disgusting,_ Shouto thinks heatedly, _to refer to your own child as if they were a mere object._

_A defective object._

But more than that, Shouto’s enraged at the accusatory tone his father spoke with when mentioning his mother. As if it were anyone's but his _own_ fault that Shouto lives with the infliction he has now.

_“You were to be my greatest creation - the perfect instrument to oppose our rival.”_

His father’s voice repeats over and over in his head, creating a whirlpool inside his hippocampus and Shouto can feel his throat constricting, tighter _and tighter-_

“Yaomomo! Are you okay?”

Shouto’s eyes snap open and he’s suddenly aware that he’s not alone - that he’s still within the walls of his classroom and not the claustrophobic prison that his father has both physically and mentally trapped him in.

He also realises that his seatmate has arrived at her desk and the immense body heat he feels and the sudden closeness of the voices indicates that the other girls have gathered around her.

“I’m fine,” comes her clipped reply. Her voice is low, firm but undeniably contains the emotion that Shouto is unwillingly a master at concealing.

_Pain._

And that’s when the sphere of his confining conscious breaks, the repetitive tone of his father dispelling from his mind to allow the feeling of guilt to sliver in. Shouto knows more than anyone that being told harsh words you don’t deserve hurts greatly and Yaoyorozu is the last person that should have been on the receiving end of his outburst.

“Are you sure? Your eyes look kind of red,” Uraraka asks worriedly and Shouto flinches. _She cried?_

“I’m sure, now come on, we don’t want to be told off by Aizawa-sensei when he gets here!” There’s a fakeness lacing her cheerful tone and Shouto’s insides wrench in remorse for having been the culprit to have caused it.

There’s the scuffle of feet as the girls hesitantly make their way back to their seats and Shouto freezes, unsure of what to do now he’s left alone with Yaoyorozu. The anger is still evident, simmering under the surface of his skin but there’s also disgust when Shouto realises that he’s acted like the one person he wants no resemblance to. There’s this ugly feeling poking at his insides, whispering that he’s hurt someone the way his father hurts him and he tightens his jaw at the chilling thought.

He wants to call out to her, to say _something_ but it’s almost as if he’s swallowed his tongue because he can’t find any words that justify how he had treated her. Shouto is used to having people say sorry to him, so much so that he’s not really sure how to say it himself. He’s not sure if his apology would even sound sincere, with the possibility of a hateful tone induced by his father tinging his words, staining- _dirtying_ them.

Clenching his fists, he steels himself, thinking of something to say but his mind is fumbling, conflicted between a possible apology and the words of his father and before he can say anything, Aizawa-sensei’s scruffy voice enters the air.

“Shut up, the lot of you! I’m too tired to handle a loud class so zip it unless you want detention,” his threat is clear as day and the class soon settles into silence. A silence permeated by the unspoken tension surrounding the two students sitting at the far left of the class - it's something that goes unnoticed by the rest of the class but Shouto can almost _touch_ it and it’s suffocating him.

Shouto uncurls his hands, his ears picking up on the sound of a pen scratching on paper from his left and he sighs.

There’s goes his chance.

***

It’s been four hours since he had unfairly raged at Yaoyorozu and he still hadn’t found the chance to apologise. Everytime Shouto neared her desk, the sound of her chair scraping back would be heard, followed by her fast paced footsteps as she left the classroom. They didn’t even have home economics today and despite Shouto’s distaste for the class, he wishes they had it today just because it would give him the chance to talk to her.

It’s now nearing the end of lunch time because before Shouto even had the chance to pack away his books at the start of their break, the sound of Yaoyorozu leaving her desk was evident as she left the room with her friends. Despite his lack of sight, it’s clear as day that Yaoyorozu’s avoiding him and he doesn't know what to do.

He feels helpless and he hates it.

“What the fuck is up with you?” Bakugou’s rough voice cuts through the air and Shouto looks up from beside Midoriya - the two, along with Iida, had been eating outside in peace before Bakugou decided to interrupt them.

“Nothing,” he replies curtly, he’s not exactly in the mood to deal with Bakugou’s incessant rudeness at the moment.

Bakugou scoffs, “You and that Ponytail girl are doing the same shit then?”

_Ponytail?_

The look of confusion must be apparent on his face because seconds later, Shouto can hear a hushed whisper coming from his left side, “Yaoyorozu-san always has a ponytail,” Midoriya explains hastily.

At the newly gained information, Shouto chokes on the piece of sushi he’s eating, “You talked to Yaoyorozu?” he manages to cough out, greedily drinking his water to dislodge the grains of rice from his throat.

“Yeah,” he jeers, “And she’s acting all tightly wound and shit and she’s managing the team today so she can’t go being all inattentive during the game.”

Shouto clenches his jaw upon realising that she’s been bothered by his outburst more than he would have hoped. Now, he feels as though he _has_ to apologise, as uncharacteristic as it may be for him, he would rather not have this unneeded feeling plaguing him any longer.

“The fuck you looking at, Deku?!”

Midoriya squeaks at being addressed so suddenly and clears his throat to answer, “I was just thinking how you really care about your team, Kacchan,” he ends nervously and Shouto imagines he’s twiddling his thumbs like he so often hears that he does when anxious.

“I don’t fucking care. They need to be good enough so they don’t drag me down!” Bakugou growls and Shouto rubs at his temples - he really doesn't need the extra noise right now.

“That sounds like you care, Bakugou-kun!” Iida says formally, his voice holding that familiar uprightness but Bakugou just scoffs in return.

“I’m leaving, you losers have fun with your picnic,” he pauses his mocking, “And I don’t know what happened between you and Ponytail but you better fucking fix it.”

The demand sits heavily in the air even as Bakugou’s heavy footsteps carry his weight far enough that Shouto can’t hear them anymore. With the realisation that Shouto has essentially been told what to do, he bristles - why does he have to be berated? Suddenly, he loses his appetite, no longer clear-headed enough to simply enjoy his meal. He realises that if he wants to rid himself of this indescribable feeling, he needs to address it directly.

“Are you okay, Todoroki-kun?” comes Midoriya’s worried voice and Shouto’s sure that Iida is looking at him with an equal amount of concern.

“I need to go,” Shouto abruptly stands up, the remnants of his lunch slipping from mind as he takes quick strides back along the memorised route back to the school building with one goal in mind.

_I need to find Yaoyorozu._

***

When Shouto makes his way back to his classroom, he realises that he doesn’t actually have a way of finding Yaoyorozu and he falters, recognising the crucial flaw in his plan. The skin hidden beneath his collar begins to warm and he locks his jaw, feeling irritated at all the annoyances today.

He may be blind but he’s never felt this lost - this _type_ of turmoil - and a bubble of anger swelters his throat when he considers that Yaoyorozu is making him feel so unsure of himself.

He shouldn’t be feeling so uneasy, it’s unlike him- _uncharacteristic_ and Shouto only feels more bothered the more he realises that he _does_ feel agitated and that the source of said agitation has been avoiding him all day.

Repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fist, Shouto tries to bring stability to his thoughts, to think of the next step.

_Control, Shouto, control is everything._

SLAM!

The mantra within the confines of his head is broken with the new sound in the otherwise silent room and he picks up his head, turning it towards the source of the noise. There’s a gasp, a feminine one and Shouto squints before his heart begins to thump uncomfortably in his chest.

He recognises that tone.

There’s the sliding of feet against the wooden floor and Shouto opens his mouth to speak before she can escape again, “Wait!” his voice is strained, almost strangled by the desperation in his plea and he clears his throat, returning to his usual calm timbre, “Wait.” 

Shouto can sense the hesitance in her nature, it’s strong enough to make its presence known but then she slowly slides the door shut and the soft pattering of her footsteps become closer before they stop completely.

It’s uncomfortable - the silence - and Shouto doesn’t know what to say. He racks his mind for possible ways of starting this conversation but he comes up empty, the churn in his stomach only growing stronger with each second of tense silence.

She speaks first, “W-what is it?” her voice starts off shaky but it grows more hard - guarded - and Shouto swallows thickly with trepidation.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he states blatantly, the apology is stuck somewhere between his throat and his mouth and he can’t seem to get it out.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now if you’re done, the next period is about to begin,” she bridles, an unusual coldness coating her words. Her tone and feigned ignorance spark a light in Shouto and the familiar feeling of irritation begins to ebb at his composure.

“I _know_ you’ve been avoiding me, don’t lie about it,” he clips, trying his best to hold back the unexplainable ire that suddenly appears without warning, “And it’s self-study next period.”

A few beats pass before she responds, “Well, if you know that then you shouldn’t interfere!” her voice raises by a few octaves and Shouto raises an eyebrow, previously unaware that her voice could go beyond anything that didn’t fit the adjective ‘kind.’

“I can do what I want,” he grounds out, the tick in his jaw pulsating and the classroom seemingly drops in temperature despite the heated nature of their conversation.

“Then so can I!” her composure breaks as her voice develops a slight shrilliness, “You have no right to be angry that I’ve been avoiding you!”

“It’s rude to ignore someone so passionately,” he says, his irritance permeating through his pores and he can’t even justify this sort of nonsensical anger that he feels. It’s uncontrolled, childish and ridiculous but it’s there even if he doesn’t know why.

“What’s rude is your uncalled for outburst this morning!” her voice is almost a hiss and Shouto winces with the unexpected attack. He didn’t expect her to say it so straightforwardly but now that she has, his anger starts to simmer down as the guilt starts to take over.

Silence blankets them once more and the anger in the air starts to dissipate, leaving a sort of melancholy and Shouto feels even more guilty when he hears her voice hitch - as if she’s holding in the urge to cry.

He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing, “I’m sorry,” he apologises. It’s quiet but there’s no other noise in the room to distract her from hearing him, the distant sound of people outside too muffled to smother his voice.

The sound of her heavy breathing is the only response he receives and he sighs upon realising he has to explain himself, “I was angry because of something that happened this morning,” he chooses to leave out the details involving his father, “And I took it out on you and that was wrong, I’m sorry.”

There’s the uncomfortable itch of heat riding up his neck and despite not being able to see, he still averts his eyes from her direction as he digs his nails into his palms whilst awaiting her response.

“It was wrong,” she finally says, her voice hoarse from her earlier shouting, “You shouldn’t have said those things to me, I have feelings too.”

Shouto hangs his head, “I know,” he mumbles.

“Thank you for apologising though and sorry for shouting at you, I didn’t realise I felt so heated about it,” she sounds nervous and Shouto quickly picks up his head at her next words, “I guess I can also act too familiar with people so I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped any boundaries. I’ll, erm, step back from now.”

“No,” he says, the thought slipping right past his lips to become verbalised without permission, “You don’t have to do that.”

“Really?” her voice sounds hopeful and Shouto can feel his ears warming inexplicably, his throat constraining as a lump forces its way from his chest to the top of his esophagus. _What’s happening?_

“Yeah,” he croaks out, “I’m not opposed to your- er- friendly approaches,” he imagines she must feel as embarrassed as he does judging by her faint squeak and he aimlessly kicks his foot forward to distract himself from his embarrassment.

He may feel somewhat flustered but he’s resolute. He’s had so many people act more considerate of him, more careful around him that he isn’t about to let another person do that too. Not when he finally wants her to act the way she has from the beginning.

“Oh, okay,” she says softly, her voice muted by the fluttering of the leaves in the wind outside the window, “I hope to become better acquainted with you then, Todoroki-san.”

Her cheery tone - her _real_ one - returns and an unprecedented wave of relief washes over Shouto and he didn’t realise that it’s absence felt so wrong until now.

To be completely honest, giving her permission to basically be friends with him did scare him - he isn’t the best at friend-making as today’s events have shown and the only female friend he has is Uraraka and that’s only through Midoriya. But there’s a peculiar flutter in his chest and he knows he wants to do this. To _try._

“Same.”

His reply is short, quick and sounds quite lame to his ears but that one word has all his determination channeled in it and he isn’t sure he’s capable of generating any other response at the moment.

He narrows his eyes in awkwardness when the silence prolongs for too long - having stepped into uncharted territory has thrown him off his usual wavelength and now he’s just standing there rigidly as she most likely surveys him.

But then she laughs and it’s so light-

Airy-

 _Musical_.

And Shouto can’t discern whether the lurch in his stomach means he’s going to be sick or if his stomach is just mad that he ran out on the rest of his lunch.

Then, his eyebrows furrow and he stares quizzically downwards as he wonders what his most recent thought means and where it came from.

_I want to see her._

 

* * *

 

_**"Who's that?"** _

_**"None of your fucking business, Ponytail!"** _


End file.
